Super Rugby 2022
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There is growing speculation the entire Super Rugby Pacific competition will need to move to Australia as government border restrictions continue to wreak havoc with the draw.Rugby Australia executive Ben Whitaker, who sits on the competitions committee, said a wholesale relocation of New Zealand teams here was a “contingency plan” only. “That’s not a consideration at the moment. It’s a contingency plan ... but we’ll seek to avoid that for as long as we can,” Whitaker said. “The worst-case scenario, if we need to revert to it in the event the border situation with New Zealand makes it necessary, then we have it as an option.”So the Queenstown move is still likely and there is no imminent plans to move to Aussie.
I suspect this has been floated in the media to put pressure on the NZ gov to provide assurances. Or they think this will be forced to happen eventually and a leak helps soften the news
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@duluth said in Super Rugby 2022:
Or they think this will be forced to happen eventually and a leak helps soften the news
I don't really see any alternatives. It's already February I can't see any bubbles or exemptions happening by April - NZ teams will have to move to Aus.
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The Western Force have temporarily relocated to the East Coast.
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@kiwimurph said in Super Rugby 2022:
@duluth said in Super Rugby 2022:
Or they think this will be forced to happen eventually and a leak helps soften the news
I don't really see any alternatives. It's already February I can't see any bubbles or exemptions happening by April - NZ teams will have to move to Aus.
It's not terrible though.
Queenstown for super rugby NZ, then a hop over the ditch for 6 weeks in Australia. Then home, either MIQ or home isolation depending on borders.
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@nzzp said in Super Rugby 2022:
@kiwimurph said in Super Rugby 2022:
@duluth said in Super Rugby 2022:
Or they think this will be forced to happen eventually and a leak helps soften the news
I don't really see any alternatives. It's already February I can't see any bubbles or exemptions happening by April - NZ teams will have to move to Aus.
It's not terrible though.
Queenstown for super rugby NZ, then a hop over the ditch for 6 weeks in Australia. Then home, either MIQ or home isolation depending on borders.
I don't think it very good at all, it's one thing to be in Queenstown etc, but another to be in Aus. When something goes wrong at home you can get home. I personally think mentally it plays on the minds of players.
Also I sick of watching our teams have to play in Aus, we start getting disconnected.
Western Force CEO is saying he not sure rugby in WA will survive another year of bugger all home games. -
Just to add. The Queenstown thing is mooted to be the first month only to start with. There is also talk that the Queenstown base/bubble is primarily for living and training. Games could be back at home stadiums with teams staying in bubbles for travel.
It is an idea to minimise risk of players being spread around and therefore increasing the possibility of bringing Covid into camp. -
@dan54 said in Super Rugby 2022:
I don't think it very good at all, it's one thing to be in Queenstown etc, but another to be in Aus.
Oh I agree! It sucks. But, it's better than no rugby, or multiple MIQ visits. It's the least bad option available with the current settings I think.
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@kiwimurph said in Super Rugby 2022:
Better than no games of course.
barely.
yay, the piped crowd noise is back...
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@antipodean said in Super Rugby 2022:
The Western Force have temporarily relocated to the East Coast.
Western Force Ngati Porou!
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@kiwimurph said in Super Rugby 2022:
At least Aus will have some fans.
The games in NZ without fans is not going to be great. Better than no games of course.
Don't know if you watched but apart from Suncorp and WA, Aussie stadiums were fairly bare last year. Even done with what was done in Taranaki in NPC lsat year wasn't too bad.
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@dan54 said in Super Rugby 2022:
Aussie stadiums were fairly bare last year
they will be this year too. Aussies don't have fucks to give about rugby/losers
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@duluth said in Super Rugby 2022:
There is growing speculation the entire Super Rugby Pacific competition will need to move to Australia as government border restrictions continue to wreak havoc with the draw.Rugby Australia executive Ben Whitaker, who sits on the competitions committee, said a wholesale relocation of New Zealand teams here was a “contingency plan” only. “That’s not a consideration at the moment. It’s a contingency plan ... but we’ll seek to avoid that for as long as we can,” Whitaker said. “The worst-case scenario, if we need to revert to it in the event the border situation with New Zealand makes it necessary, then we have it as an option.”So the Queenstown move is still likely
Sounds like its a goer. The Blues have cancelled their 4 day camp which was supposed to be from tomorrow til Saturday. They might be on the move as early as Sunday to Qtown.
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@kiwimurph said in Super Rugby 2022:
@dan54 said in Super Rugby 2022:
Don't know if you watched but apart from Suncorp and WA, Aussie stadiums were fairly bare last year.
and even that is still much better than no fans.
NZ teams are still hoping for some fans if they can play in their home stadiums. Separate pods of 100 people has been suggested.
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i have generally always leaned toward any restrictions are in place for the right reasons etc...but this really is getting crazy
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@kiwiwomble said in Super Rugby 2022:
i have generally always leaned toward any restrictions are in place for the right reasons etc...but this really is getting crazy
remember they are where we were 12 months ago with regards to cases and stuff
except, they are hugely vaccinated, sooooo
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@mariner4life agreed, dont want to move it too COVID other than to say even i think its really weird to have similar proposed restrictions (crowd size, hubs) etc given a very different world, high vaccination and a anecdotally much more mild strain
